


Try Not to Breathe

by escribo



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M, Unfinished wip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-28
Updated: 2012-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-15 05:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escribo/pseuds/escribo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle-esque AU. Mike is a bestseller author and Harvey is the best closer in the city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately, I will not be able to finish this story. I hope you enjoy what is here and can imagine an ending if you choose to read it.

It was late, past midnight, and Harvey was beginning to think he might leave soon if he could get out from under Jessica without too much comment. It'd been a long day with court that morning and a meeting that had run long after. He was pretty sure this game was meant to be a reward, for winning, for signing a new client, and for making senior partner all in the same week but if he was honest, he just wanted his bed. After two hours, he was beginning to think that pretending to lose a hand to the police commissioner, a federal judge, and his managing partner would be worth it if it got him back to his condo that much quicker. 

He was up, and that was nice, but Jessica had a look about her that said there was something more in store for Harvey that night and she couldn't wait to see how he handled it. He wasn't as eager to find out but he did so hate to disappoint her. So when the judge passed around a box of Davidoff's and topped off his glass of Glenfiddich, asking who was in, Harvey only inclined his head slightly and conceded he might be a bit touched by human concerns by loosening his tie and popping the top button on his shirt as Jessica shuffled the cards and passed the deck to Harvey to cut. It was toward the end of that round that he finally got a hint as to why he'd been invited along in the first place.

"Sorry I'm late." The newcomer tumbled into the conference room with a security guard escort just behind him, who left when Jessica nodded in his direction before she tipped her cheek up to receive a kiss by the kid. And he was definitely a kid, tall and lanky dressed in worn jeans and a faded blue t shirt that proclaimed, _science works, bitches_ that matched his chucks perfectly. Harvey found the fact that he shared a rather complicated hand shake with the police commissioner of New York City and offered to bump fists with Judge Byrd to be slightly worrying. 

"What are we playing?" He asked as he sunk into the empty chair on the other side of Jessica and looked around the table expectantly.

"Five card draw, ace to seven," Jessica answered, her eyes never leaving Harvey's (another bad sign).

"Deal me in then."

"I didn't realize this was an open game," Harvey said, doing his level best to keep his keep his poker face, as it were.

"Sorry, Harvey. I didn't realize you hadn't met Mike yet." Jessica was smiling openly now, tipping her hand. "Mike Ross meet Harvey Specter, Pearson Hardman's newest senior partner. Mike's a writer. Maybe you've seen his books."

"Atop the New York Times bestseller list at time or two," Harvey finished for her. He held out his hand to shake Mike's before settling back to his cards. "Harvey Specter."

"I know. I've followed your career."

"A big fan?" Harvey asked, earning him laughs around the table. The kid hadn't just been on the bestseller list but the cover of every magazine and frequent guest on the round of late night shows. He was more than popular, he was _famous_ , Brooklyn's (current) favorite son, known more for being a geek than a bad boy--and yes, Harvey did read the gossip columns, but only to make sure his clients didn't show up too frequently. "So you're Mike Ross. _The_ Mike Ross. You're just a kid." 

"I'm 28, more than enough time to have written four best sellers, the fifth due out next month and...well, several that we don't talk about." 

"The bodice rippers," Jessica said in a mock shocked whisper, fanning herself as the judge laughed. 

Mike blushed when Harvey smirked at him. "So not under your real name."

"It's something I did a long time ago. They paid my Gram's medical bills before I sold the first Josh Hart book. I'm not ashamed."

"So when did the last one come out?"

"Last month," Jessica answered for him, setting off another round of howling laughter when Mike blushed harder.

"Okay, I'm a little ashamed," he said as he pulled his cards close and began to rearrange them, "but they have their market."

"I'm sure," but Harvey was smiling and so was the kid.

Turned out the kid was good and Harvey was rather unsurprised. It only took three more rounds before even Jessica had to bow out, sipping on her scotch while she continued to watch Harvey carefully. It made him nervous but not so much that he didn't decide he would take the kid for everything he had before Mike decided he could use his winnings to buy the Yankees. In forty-five minutes, Harvey had discovered that Mike still lived in the brownstone his grandmother owned in Brooklyn and rode his bike everywhere unless forced to hire a car and a driver, as he had that night rather than ride over from Studio 52 where he'd been a guest on a show, which was why he was late. His _I got into it with Jon and they're tossing the rest of the interview up on the web_ off-hand as if being a guest on _The Daily Show_ happened nearly as often as Harvey found himself in court. Turned out for Mike, it almost was.

"So, what are you doing now?" Harvey asked during a lull in the game as the judge and Jessica argued a point of law while the commissioner bowed out and took his meager winnings home.

"I knew you were interested."

"Not at all. I get invited to my boss' high stakes poker game, which happens to feature boy genius Mike Ross schooling everyone in the room except me, I have to wonder. Am I here for a reason?"

"So suspicious, Harvey," Jessica tsked at him.

"You got me," Mike says, opening his arms wide. "Background research. I have an idea for my next book and I knew some people who were interested in helping me lend a sense of authenticity to what would otherwise be next year's bargain bin special and they agreed to meet me here tonight."

"And you think I'm one of those people?"

"Ah, no. I've been assured that you would definitely not be interested."

"I thought you wrote spy novels." Harvey caught Jessica's self-satisfied smirk and matched it with one of his own. "What? I read the _Times_."

"You wound me." Mike playfully grabbed his chest with both hands, showing his cards to the room before drawing them down. "Since everyone here but you has already read an advance copy and you aren't a fan, so I don't have to worry about spoiling you, I killed off my main character. I'm looking to do something new."

"New."

"A lawyer."

Harvey flicked his eyes to Jessica and found her quietly inspecting her cards before putting them face down on the felt. "I'm out."

"In more ways than one. Why do I feel like this was a set up?" 

"I've read books," Mike rushed in. "I know the law, and I have a great idea for a character." 

"I seriously doubt that."

"He's pretty good, Harvey. We've had some good discussions over the years," Judge Byrd said before he raised his bet. Harvey planned to raise his, too--the kid was holding garbage and the judge couldn't bluff for anything, but it was clear that Mike didn't want to be distracted by the way he leaned across the table, tapping his long fingers along the felt, dancing around the chips. 

"It's the other stuff, the day-to-day things, that I want to get right. I'm mean, you're legendary already." 

"Do you really think flattery is going to work here?" 

Mike grinned. "Jessica said it wouldn't but I figured I'd give it a go anyway." 

"Not even close." 

"Still, you're the best closer in the city and you do have a big reputation, those are fact, not flattery. I want to do something different--" 

"I thought Grisham has the market for the legal thriller pretty sewn up. The action's on you, kid." 

Mike picked his cards up again and shuffled through them before tipping the rest of his chips into the pile and raising them both. "I'm all in. He's good, especially his early stuff, but his main protagonist always has this wide-eyed, squeaky clean aspect--" 

"So, you're going for the dirty lawyer cliche?" 

"No. I'm thinking James Bond meets Han Solo." Mike tipped his head and his hand. "Except in a courtroom." 

"Now there's an image."

"He really is appealing to Harvey's ego," the judge said in sotto voce to Jessica before tossing his cards down. "I'm out." 

"Down to you and me," Mike said, too eager, and Harvey nearly laughed out loud. He was holding three of a kind, which he normally wouldn't have bet this much or this high on but if he was honest, he'd have to say he was interested to see where the kid was going. The flash of cards earlier showed that Mike couldn't be holding more than a high-card hand.

"You don't have anything left to raise me with."

"Sure I do. It's what I came for."

"And what's that?"

"Three months all access. I'm going to write the book no matter what but my books are successful because the characters are real. This is how I write, and I really want to write about you."

"So there was a real Josh Hart, burned spy, out there."

"I could tell you but then he'd have to kill me."

"Cute but no."

"At least make it a good story to tell around the water cooler tomorrow. Accept my raise, win it fair."

"All right kid. You win this hand, you get three months. I win--"

"You already have most of my money."

"I win sartorial control the next time you end up on _The Daily Show_."

"You want to dress me?"

"I want to save you from yourself. Deal?"

"I thought you'd ask to sign me."

"Maybe next time. You ready to show your hand?"

 

***

 

"You knew about this!"

Jessica sat at her chair behind her desk and folded her hands calmly, watching Harvey as he paced. She was really enjoying this too much. "Mike approached me with an idea." 

"I'm not doing it." 

"It'll be good for the firm." 

Harvey paused, knowing he wasn't going to win, and slipped his hands into his pockets. "How?" 

"Since you've apparently been living under a rock, I'll tell you. Mike generates a lot of publicity, all of it good, and he's friends with a lot of young, rich people in the city--everybody knows who he is, everybody wants to know him." 

"I don't." 

"Don't be stupid, or worse, a sore loser." 

"I'm not--" 

"He schooled you at poker, and you lost a bet fair and square." 

"Because he was counting cards." 

"He wasn't counting. It was just a bit of sleight of hand. You always did like a show and I thought you'd appreciate it. He was taught poker by his grandmother, Edith Ross--and don't even pretend you don't know who she is." 

Harvey looked away, processing that. He knew the name, but more than that, he knew the voice. She'd been one of the best jazz singers in and around New York City during the 50's and 60's. She'd played with everyone from Armstrong to the Rat Pack. He couldn't believe Mike Ross was her grandson. "Jessica," and she smiled at the definite whine in his voice.

"I bet he'll even introduce you if you ask nicely." 

Harvey looked over his shoulder to where Mike was waiting for him in the darkened hall outside Jessica's office. 

"Three months all access to the full Harvey Specter experience," Jessica reminded him, opening her hands wide. "I'll make my own bet that by the end you're going to have enjoyed it more than a little. He's cute and he's smart--" 

"I'm sure he's a real mental giant." 

"All right, son. How about this, imagine the look on Louis' face in the morning when he finds out that his favorite author wants to base a character in his next bestseller on you. You can't tell me you won't enjoy that more than a little." 

Harvey continued to eye Mike. He was cute, in the same way a golden retriever puppy was cute--all long legs and bright eyes. It wouldn't be the worst way to spend some time, he supposed. "Fine, but I get to tell Louis." 

Jessica nodded, barely keeping her smile to herself as he walked out of her office and past Mike. "We'll start tomorrow." 

"Full access?" 

"Within reason."

"Wait! What does that mean?" 

Harvey turned on his heel and put his hand flat against Mike's thin chest. "It means if a client doesn't want you there then you don't come. You listen to me when I tell you to keep your mouth shut, and if I have any issues with confidentuality, then you're gone." 

"I get it, I do. And I'll sign whatever." Mike said, grinning when Harvey raised an eyebrow. "After my lawyer has reviewed it. I promise you won't regret this." 

"I highly doubt that."


	2. Chapter 2

When Harvey woke up the following morning, it wasn't without a little trepidation for the day ahead. He knew he'd been played by Jessica, and while he figured that out before Mike ever showed up to the poker game, it didn't help his dilemma now. He'd agreed to let this kid into his life--full access--without fully knowing what the outcome was going to be. He didn't do that-- _ever_. He always knew the angles, and there was so much about Mike Ross that he didn't know. Not that he was worried about a novelist, and not that he was the least bit interested in getting to know him either. 

By the time Ray picked him up in front of his building, he had a plan, or something like one. Of course, by the time the elevator reached his floor and he saw that Mike was waiting for him, it seemed less like a plan and more like surrender. He felt like he couldn't weasel out of this without going against Jessica, and he couldn't quite lie to himself well enough to erase the information he'd gathered from Mike's Wikipedia page before mining his Twitter. And maybe one or two youtube videos from interviews he'd done, including last night's stint with Jon Stewart.

So the kid came across as smart and well-spoken, and Harvey could see how, if he was being forced to be trailed by a novelist, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have to spend time with him. Seeing him now in the light of day and in a suit that fit him well even though the skinny tie was a travesty he couldn't quite forgive, he could also appreciate that the Mike was, as Jessica said, cute. Of course, cute wasn't Harvey's type, he reminded himself, and none of this meant he was any happier about having to do this.

Donna only slightly raised one eyebrow at the sight of his own choice of a Dolce & Gabbana black wool double breasted suit, one of his finest, her gaze only stopping the overt scan of his body once it'd reached his Ferragamo's before she tilted her head to her right where Mike stood resting against the wall of her cubicle. Mike's look held much less of Donna's _I've got your number_ and much more _I want your number,_ and Harvey was more than a little surprised by the flood of warmth he felt at that.

"I'll explain later," he said, knowing he should have called her at home at some point to warn her. She hated being caught off-guard, too, and that she hadn't known prior somehow made him feel better. 

"No need. Mike filled me in. He's promised to teach me his trick."

"I'm sure he could teach you a lot of tricks if you ask nicely."

"No need for the nice part," Mike piped in, his smile both shy and inviting in a way that was completely disarming. That it was directed at Donna annoyed Harvey for reasons he couldn't quite pin down.

"What are you doing here so early?" He bit out, strictly ignoring Donna's murmured _I was about to ask you the same thing_ as he walked into his office, Mike following behind.

"Full access. _What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks? What mysteries do the muscles make? Does courage lie beneath those curls? Me, myself and I want to know._ "

"Harry Potter? Really?" 

"It's a modern classic. Besides, it's been said we have a lot in common, Harry Potter and I." 

"By your agent?" 

"You'd like him. He was a classmate of Jessica's." 

"Is that how you know her?" Harvey set down his briefcase and fiddled with his laptop for a moment before looking up. He found Mike was wandering the office, almost but not quite touching everything before he stopped in front of the record collection.

"Kind of, just in reverse order," Mike said as his hands settled into his pockets and he began scanning the titles. "She introduced him to me." 

"So how do you know Jessica?" 

"She did a pro-bono case for my grandmother a long time ago and they kept in touch." 

"So, you've known each other for a while."

"A few years."

"You're not exactly being forthcoming."

"She warned me about you." 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mike smiled and ducked his head as he made his way to stand in front of Harvey's desk. He picked up a baseball signed by Joe Girardi to inspect it like he was evaluating its worth before he tossed it in the air and caught it was a grin direct at Harvey. "Nothing bad, at least I don't think so. She certainly gave me the impression that she's looked out for you, too."

"Too?"

"Look, I know you were kinda of forced into this but--"

Harvey took his baseball back and placed it carefully back on his desk. "Kinda?"

"You wouldn't have agreed if I had just asked."

"You could have tried."

"I couldn't get past Donna."

"So you did try."

"She's really good at her job, and a bit terrifying." Mike looked at the door before he leaned in to Harvey and lowered his voice. "If I wasn't completely into guys, I would be all about her. I kinda am anyway. She's got fantastic legs, and her hair--"

"She can hear you."

"Every word?" Mike glanced over his shoulder again to watch as Donna pointed toward the intercom on her desk before going back to typing. Mike cleared his throat and straightened up. Harvey watched him, amused, and Mike didn't disappoint, going quiet for a long moment, blushing furiously, before he said in whoosh of breath, "I've suddenly got this incredible idea for a character."

"Do you need pen and paper?" Harvey asked in mock concern but Mike just rolled his eyes.

"I don't actually. I'll remember it."

"Then remember this, too. We have to establish some ground rules." 

"Like what?" 

"Like, this is the law. What I do affects real people, and I don't want what you do to mess with that or them." 

"It won't."

"And you can guarantee that."

"I can promise that I will abide by the confidentiality agreements I signed."

"I didn't--"

"Jessica, and I've been assured by my legal counsel that they are air-tight. In fact, I was advised not to sign them at all since it gives you some control over what I might write. That's why I came early. Look, it wasn't always true but I take my career as seriously as you do. I was able to write the Josh Hart books because someone with a lot of secrets trusted me to keep them, too. I get it, I do." 

"That remains to be seen."

"And what I was going to say earlier is this is me asking, for real this time. If you don't want to do this, then I'll go."

Harvey narrowed his eyes and regarded Mike carefully but Mike didn't flinch at all. It seemed like a sincere offer--a way out--and Harvey was more surprised by the fact that he didn't feel the least bit tempted in accepting it. He wasn't quite ready to give in completely, but despite his protests last night, he was flattered, and he was interested in at least seeing what the kid would come up with. He was saved from voicing any of that by a knock at the door, which turned out to be Louis pushing his way in past Donna. Perfect.

"Harvey, I just heard--" Louis stopped the moment Mike turned, his hand going to the knot in his tie before he came at Mike with his hand outstretched. "It's true. Mike Ross. Michael Ross. I'm Louis Litt and it's a huge pleasure meeting you."

"It's just Mike, please." 

"I'm a big fan," Louis continued, stepping even closer to close his other hand over Mike's arm. "I've read all your books. What you did at the end of _Scatter Point_ was brilliant." 

"Thank you." 

"I've already pre-ordered _Dead Drop_ and cannot wait to read it. No chance of giving a little hint, a little taste."

"I don't usually--"

"Of course you don't, and I wouldn't want you to. So, what are you doing here? I heard you were with Rand, Calder, and Zane. If you're looking to switch--"

"Actually--" 

"He's here for me, Louis." Harvey sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his stomach, enjoying the complex flood of emotions that crossed Louis' face. 

"You?" Louis apparently decided on sneering disbelief in answer to Harvey's smirk before turning back to Mike and moving impossibly closer, not noticing when Mike took another step back. "I think you should know, Mike, that I've successfully represented several members within the entertainment industry." 

"I don't think the strippers from the place down by the airport count in this case." 

"And what's your experience with the needs faced by creative minds, Harvey? Oh, that's right, you have none." Louis finally dropped Mike's arm, fanning his hand out a bit as if in invitation. 

He really did make it too easy.

"That's not what your wife said last night." 

"I'm not--" Louis bit out to Harvey and then to Mike, straightening up, his smile going from uneasy to sharp in a flash. "I'm not married, except to my job, and I can promise 100% dedication to you and your concerns without resorting to sophomoric antics." 

"As I was saying, Mr. Litt." 

"Louis, please call me Louis, Mike." 

"Louis." Mike had been backing up to put space between him and Louis but now found that he'd been nearly pushed back into the arm of the couch before he side-stepped Louis and headed over to stand behind Harvey's desk. "As I was saying, I'm actually here for Harvey. Not-- I'm very happy with my current representation. I'm--" 

"He's going to use me as the inspiration for his next book." 

Louis looked from Harvey to Mike and back to Harvey, his smile thinning. "And Jessica--" 

"It was Jessica's idea." 

"So, Mike's here to--" 

"Shadow me." 

"Of course, he is." Louis smooth downed the lapels of his jacket. He turned to leave before pivoting back on his heels and leaning across Harvey's desk, tapping one finger twice on the gleaming surface to make his point. "I get it. I do. He's slick, I can see where you're going with that but I want you to know my door is always open to you for when you're ready to put some real depth into your character. Embezzlement? That's sexy now, right? Tax fraud. I've got the experience." 

"Get out," Harvey said when Mike took another step to put himself practically behind Harvey, and Harvey stood up. Not to protect Mike, because really? The kid was afraid of Louis? No, it was just because he liked towering over Louis, knowing that Louis knew that Harvey could kick his ass. 

"I'm going, because some of us have real work to do. Just remember, Michael, when you get tired of the smoke and mirrors, you can always stop by and witness a real lawyer at work." 

"Out." 

As soon as the door shut, Harvey sat back down in his chair and waited for Mike to wander out from behind him. "He's..."

"An asshole." 

"I was going to say intense."

"Well, you do deal in fiction. So, how is this going to work?"

"You'll do it?"

"Think of it as a kindness. I don't want you to be stuck going to Louis," Harvey said just to watch Mike's reaction. He'd already decided he'd give the kid his three months. "Tell me what you want."

"I don't want you to do anything different because I'm here. Just ignore me, and if that's impossible," Mike rushed on to say when Harvey raised his eyebrow in doubt, "then use me. I can be useful. I passed the bar."

" _You passed the bar_. And what law school did you attend?"

"No law school, despite Jessica's brow beating," Mike answered unnecessarily because Harvey already knew that from Wikipedia. In fact, he knew that Mike didn't even finish his undergraduate (though the internet was sketchy on the details of why. The chief rumor, not that he'd gone looking for it, was that he'd been kicked out.). "This guy bet me that I couldn't do it so, you know."

"No, I don't actually."

"So, I took it. What? Like it's hard? That guy did it." Mike thumbed over his shoulder to where Louis had just been standing.

Harvey stared at him in disbelief. No one just _took_ the bar, and certainly no one just passed it like it was nothing. But Mike was giving Harvey the same smile he had earlier when trying to charm Donna, and Harvey felt that challenge it implied to check it out. He certainly planned to. 

"I have this memory thing," Mike continued on, deflating a bit when Harvey continued to just stare at him.

"What kind of memory thing?"

"If I read it, I remember it. I mean, I remember books I read when I was kid."

"So can I."

"Verbatim. Every comic book, every newspaper article, every test I took. I remember everything"

"Eidetic?"

"Yeah. _It's a gift…and a curse._ "

"So, I'm guessing it extends to dodgy dialogue from USA shows?"

"Everything. I can be useful."

"I have an associate."

"Jessica told me about him," Mike said with a look that showed Jessica hadn't really held back any of Harvey's opinions of the associate pool in general, and his associate in particular. "I'll sit on your couch and proof read things or whatever. When we go to meetings, I won't say a word but I can remember everything like you have a court stenographer in the room without the annoying typing. I'll be completely unobtrusive, I promise."

"We'll try it for a week," Harvey said, and was glad Mike grinned manically and offered to fist bump rather than try to argue for an agreement to the whole three months now. He'd _get it_ (and the smirk Donna tosses over her shoulder said she knew it, too) but Harvey wanted to maintain some semblance of control.


End file.
